If they're selling then why change a good thing? Aston-Martin customers must want cars that they think should look like Aston-Martins I guess.
Has nothing to do with how they're selling.
Aston-Martins don't look laughable - Astons are made beautiful on the merit of the shape alone without scoops and vents and spoilers and whatnot - I like both the Virage and the DB9 even though they look similar. But then again the Gallardo and the Murcielago also share many styling cues - admittedly not to the extent of the Astons but it goes to show how certain brands cater to their customers by keeping a common design theme across their whole product line.
Was not talking about the designs themselves. Aston Martin & designs are laughable because the company's viewpoint is, "Just make it smaller. Just add a few vents. Keep it that way for 5 years & then, add something else". That's Lamborghini's view on their cars & why, as you said, they don't age well; neither will Astons. And with the Virage being a DB9 w/ subtle changes, I imagine it'll be another 5 years of the same thing.
But grand tourers are every inch supercars just like the Lamborghinis. Yes, they are heavier but they still have blistering performance, state-of-the-art chassis, big engines, big price tags, etc.
A DB9 is not a supercar. A DBS isn't either, nor are the Vantages. They don't have "blistering" performance or big anything compared to the Aventador, Enzo, Veyron, Carrera GT, Ford GT, etc., etc. The One-77 is the only thing Aston has built in those realms.
The most expensive Aston Martin on the market, excluding the One-77, is the DBS at $266,000 w/ a 510Hp V12, a 0-60 of 4.3 & 197Mph top speed. Lamborghini was doing that back in the 90's with the Diablo; not exactly
blistering.
I was referring to 'unique' as in different from Aston-Martin, but I'm pretty sure that all-wheel drive was not part of the original formula....
Except Aston Martin wasn't doing anything of the sort for Lamborghini to be "unique".
As I stated above, grand tourers are every bit as much supercars as the commonly accepted conception.
No, they're really not. A 599 GTB or SLR are usually the only major grand tourers that could be seen as supercars because of their characteristics. Aston Martins remain the realm of the California, Gran Turismos, & so forth.
Some extra creature comforts don't make a car lose its status as a supercar, I don't think. So although I should have been more direct and clearer, it does not undermine my argument. I bet there are very few 'grand tourer' owners who don't call their Aston-Martins et al. anything other than a supercar.
An owner can call his car anything he wants. I'm sure Volante owners have more than once referred their car as a roadster, convertible, spyder, etc.
With all due respect, I think you're too stuck on the Miura as the only thing a supercar can or should be. As you mentioned, time goes on, and with it evolves not only design but definition.
With all due respect, I think you're too stuck on labeling Aston Martin as something it isn't.
The Miura defined the supercar term because of it's characteristics. The Enzo, Ford GT, Countach, Diablo, EB110, XJ220, F1, F40, and so forth all share extremely similar traits.
Aston Martin hasn't built anything like it in a long, long time, & absolutely none of the current, mainstream Astons share any of those similarities.
Divide the supercars above & the cars like the Gran Turismo, California, CL-Class, & M6. Now, out of those 2 groups, do you honestly believe the Aston Martins are further from the 2nd group than the supercars?
As you mentioned, time goes on, and with it evolves not only design but definition.
Except you took what I said out of context; I was talking about designs.
A definition does not evolve from one meaning to another.
Another question - do "exotic" and "supercar" mean generally the same thing now? The term exotic used to describe a car that looks special, is considered unobtainable by most, uses high tech materials, etc. We obviously haven't decided what a supercar is though.
I think people get that idea because what you described as exotic usually might describe a supercar. Of course, you also have cars like the 2000GT that could be seen as exotic, but not a supercar.
Don't get me wrong though, I like the other ones listed above.
